


At Each Other's Side

by laadychat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Childhood Friends, Gen, PERIODT, i promise i like ondine, the brotp we love, they're bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23492902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laadychat/pseuds/laadychat
Summary: It wasn't a great day for him but she'll be by his side. They were friends and no one messes with her friends.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 10
Kudos: 284





	At Each Other's Side

**Author's Note:**

> marikimnino brotp 😌

At this point, she wasn't surprised when her mother informed her that Kim was on his way up.

They used to be close, practically know as the chaotic trio with Nino, when they were younger, but stopped hanging out soon after hitting middle school.

But lately, at of the blue, they started hanging again. Not that Marinette was complaining or anything - hell, she missed her childhood friend and the craziness he always brought. (And even more strangely, the trio started doing their weekly hangouts again.) So she hummed and continued doing her homework, knowing Kim would just crash on her chaise.

But as he climbed up the stairs, she noticed something was... off. His movements were slower and quieter than usual and Kim was never a quiet guy; you always knew when he was around. Whether it be his loud foot steps or his howling laugh, his presence was always known.

Setting the pencil down, she spun around to face the door just as Kim popped his head up. "Hey, Mari."

His tone was surprisingly void of any emotions, but with the way he schooled his face, Marinette knew he was trying to come off as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey," she responded, eyeing him as he made his way across her room. Expecting him to flop down on the furniture, he instead sat down. This only further confirmed her suspicions that something wasn't right. And by the way he remained expressionless, chin on his palm as he stared at the ground next to his feet, it must be something huge.

Standing up, she made her way to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as she sat. "What's wrong, Kim?" 

"Marinette," he crooked out, leg bouncing as he looked everywhere but at her. And that just about did it for her, her heart beginning to break as she heard the crack in his voice. "I..."

Squeezing his shoulder tighter, Marinette scooted closer and grabbed his hand. "It's okay, I'm here, Kimmie."

As if needing to hear those exact words, the mask he hid his emotions behind began to crack, the tears gathering at the edge of his eyes. Just what happened to her friend? Who was it that caused him so much anguish? She was going to have a w-

"I..." he shrudded, taking in a breath as he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "I broke up with Ondine."

She drew back slightly, shocked from what she heard. Broke up? But just the other day, Kim was talking about getting her a promise ring - this makes _no sense._

"I caught her-" a sob broke out between his lips, shaking her out of the stupor she fell into, the sound taking whatever was left of her shattered heart and crushed it further. "she was kissing _him_."

_Wait, does that mean -_

"She was _cheating_ on me, M." He turned his head, giving her a sad smile, the mask completely destroyed. "And it was with the guy she told me not to worry about. That they were just _friends_ and I-" he let out a choked sound and the grip on her hand tightened, wishing right at that moment she didn't have to follow a moral justice. Maybe Tikki wouldn't mind if she used being Ladybug to teach a lesson, right?

"Oh Kim," she muttered, wrapping her arms around him, bringing him into a tight embrace.

He burried his face into her neck, letting out all that he tried to hide. "And I trusted her. Marinette, she told me she _loved_ me, that I was _it_ for her yesterday and I _trusted_ her." 

"Kimie," she whispered, rubbing circles on his back as she pulled him tighter. "I'm so sorry," she added, absolutely floored as to why anyone would have done that to him. Kim was one of the most kindhearted people she knew. Yeah, sometimes he did things that were questionable and his speech didn't always come out as he intended it to but he doesn't deserve this. 

He didn't deserve to have his heart broken.

"That's not all too." He laughed, humorless and dry, nothing like the Kim she knew. "My parents said we might be moving back to Vietnam. Marinette," his tone hushed, he pulled back to give one of the most heartbreaking looks she's ever witnessed. "I don't wanna go back."

"Going back?" she asked softly, her hands stilling. There was so much more she wanted to ask, but at the moment, while watching her friend crumble, the only thing she could think about was what she could do to make him feel better?

_Why was he going back?_

"I kind of just ran away when my parents said that. They want to be closer to their parents but, M," he sighed and slouched, rubbing the side of his face. "I _don't want to go_."

"Do you have too?" She asked in a quiet voice, watching him as he gripped his hair. 

"They said it'll be a nice change of scenery, and that I've lost touched with my heritage." He groaned, moving away to lay down on the chaise, and Marinette could only stare. Here was the boy she's been friends with since they were in diapers, completely heartbroken and drained, and there wasn't much she could do for him at this point.

And when he sniffed and stiffled a yawn, she guess there was just one thing she could do. She brought him a blanket and covered him, making sure he was comfortable.

"I miss her, is that wrong?" he asked, his voice muffled by the blanket, eyes downcast. 

Marinette smiled sadly. "You love her, Kim. You won't be able to turn it off just like that."

He paused and sighed, turning away from her. "It hurts so much," he whispered, and she sat down next to him, running her fingers through his hair. _Gah_ , if only she could take the pain away from him.

"Get some rest, Kimie. I'll be here when you wake up."

He snorted, burying deeper under the cover. "Of course you'll be here, it's your room."

That counted as a laugh, right? She laughed herself, gently nudging his head.

Once he was under his slumber, she got up and located her phone, knowing just the right person to cheer Kim up.

And when Kim woke up to a bear hug from Nino, multiple tubs of ice cream, and some movies, he was definitely in better spirits when he left than when he first showed up at her doorstep.

They weren't able to take away all his pain, but Marinette was looking out for him with Nino right alongside her.

(Maybe, just maybe, Marinette and Nino showed exactly why you don't mess with their friends but that's their secret.)

-

  
A few days later, she got the usual warning about her friend when she noticed the way he was coming up the stairs - enthusiastically, just the way she associated it with him. 

But this time, he was accompanied by another set of footsteps.

"Mari!" he yelled, slamming her door open. "I did it!"

She didn't know what he did but that didn't stop her from jumping up from her seat in excitement. "Oh, what did you do?"

"Guess who's not leaving Paris?" Kim grinned, flexing his arms for a moment before sweeping her into a hug. "I'm not leaving anymore!"

"Yeah, he's staying at my house until they're back from vacation though." Nino snorted, patting Kim's back. "Guess they don't trust you cause of last time."

At the mention of that, Kim's scowled. "Don't act high and mighty, Lahiffe. Do you not remember why we aren't allowed to be alone at my house? Unless M is there too?"

"Does this mean sleepovers?" Marinette interrupted, her eyes arched in amusement. "Cause we haven't done that in a while."

"Of course!" Kim bounced away, jumping onto the chaise. 

"Uh, not at my house. I'm already mentally preparing to get use to Kim's energy during the day." Nino scrunched his nose, shooting Kim a warning glare. "Don't try anything stupid, crazy boy."

The boy in question held up his hand in a mock salute. "Scouts honor, _mom_."

"That's right, dearest Kimmie, listen to your mom." Marinette couldn't help but laugh, the expressions on her friend's face worth it.

"Okay, I'm throwing out the gaming console. You're grounded." Nino pointed at her accusingly. "Go join your brother in the timeout zone."

Hunging her head as she let out a groan, she dragged her feet until she slumped down on the chaise. Catching sight of Kim's amused smile, she felt herself relax, understanding that her friend was getting better.

And Marinette was determined to stay by his side until the literal end of the world. Or if Kim decides to take on another life-risking bet.

Whichever comes first.

Still, this big goof was her friend and she'll be there for him just like he was there for her(and Nino, but he's on _thin fucking ice at the moment_ ).

They weren't known as the chaotic trio for no reason, right?


End file.
